Book Review – Virgin

Last month I picked up a collection of poetry called Virgin by Analicia Sotelo. Not only was I was intrigued by the collection’s premise, I wanted to support a Texan writer (she received her MFA from the University of Houston).

I really enjoyed this collection. The poems navigate womanhood, heartbreak, and abandonment with an assured, confident voice, with a fresh voice. I read a collection several years ago from a young poet gaining a lot of attention, but nearly every poem was written for an invisible heartbreaker, and I tired quickly of the cliches in each poem. Fortunately, that is not the case with this collection. Though it’s a collection I feel I will have to read several times to truly digest, I really enjoyed the overall collection and the wry humor injected into her poems. From “Summer Barbecue with Two Men”:

“judgment is a golden habanero margarita/ with wings,wet & cold/ on his chest. So/many people are tender from the right angle./ I’m hungry & confused. I love/ a good barbecue. Save me.”

If you’re looking for poetry from a rising (Texan!) poet, then I think you’ll enjoy Virgin. 4 stars.